MOVIEGOERS in director Mg Lee's
native Taiwan gave a thumbs-up to
his prize-winning Lust, Caution,
appearing unfazed by the controversy surrounding it or the steamy
sex scenes.

The film, the surprise winner of this year's Golden Lion award at the Venice
film festival, played to full houses on its Monday night premiere at several Taipei cinemas,
which have given it an adult rating
and are showing it uncut.

Lust, Caution, a spy thriller set in
World War II Shanghai, received
generally negative reviews at
Venice and was panned by critics
who said it was long and tedious.

"Awesome," one Taiwanese viewer described the 156-minute movie,
which is punctuated by explicit and
sometimes violent sex.

'There was a little bit too much
sex in a few points, but overall it
was okay," said another movie goer,
Shen Yun-hsi. "I'm still thinking
about it. A lot happened."

The film will open in China this
week but only after Lee himself
excised a lot of the on-screen sex
and other scenes Beijing deemed
inappropriate.

Lee, back home after a global
tour, was especially nervous about
the premiere of his film in Taiwan,
due to the graphic sex, his brother
told local media.

But the audience at one Taipei
cinema, mostly in their 20s and 30s,
gasped louder at a scene featuring a
large diamond than at any of the
sex scenes.

"I feel good when 1 come back to
Taiwan. When I make a Chinese
movie, I can examine my growth
and have a new start again," Lee
said during a media briefing on
Tuesday.

"Every time when I come back, I
review the past and it gives me the
feeling that I will have a brand new
start and keep going forward," he
added.

unfazed

not surprised or worried

gasp

to take a short quick breath through the mouth,
especially because of surprise, pain or shock